The old days

[just1np]

Private schools have never dominated the highest class.

NEVER.

I would love to see anyone (Earl Nall maybe) supply the W-L records of private schools in 3A (up until '92) and 5A ('93 to present).

I believe my senior year was the last year before the split.

During those days BA and MBA were very, very good. But that was pretty much it. The rest of the teams you saw going deep in the playoffs were Oak Ridge, Riverdale, and maybe a Dobyns-Bennett or H'ville.

Why is this?

[BDURHAM]

There were other teams...for example, Baylor.

 

Posted by just1np:

Private schools have never dominated the highest class.

NEVER.

I would love to see anyone (Earl Nall maybe) supply the W-L records of private schools in 3A (up until '92) and 5A ('93 to present).

I believe my senior year was the last year before the split.

During those days BA and MBA were very, very good. But that was pretty much it. The rest of the teams you saw going deep in the playoffs were Oak Ridge, Riverdale, and maybe a Dobyns-Bennett or H'ville.

Why is this?

[just1np]

Baylor never went too deep in the playoffs.

Neither did Christian Brothers, MUS, or McCallie.

In fact, how many private schools won the title at the highest level (3A/5A) other than BA?

I think if we look back we'll see a lot of Germantowns, LincolnCo's, Jefferson Co., Gallatins, and Red Banks. But no private schools.

Did a private ever win it prior to BA(the exception to the rule, or every rule for that matter)?

[pujo]

If you build it ,they will come, or theres another one,a league of there own.I saw a post on here where a private school was braging on their freshman quaterback. Said he threw a touchdown pass of 70 yards or so ,the ball was in the air for 50.I don't know about any of the other 1a schools ,but we don't come up with people like. On another post about the same guy, they said ,just great coaching. I get a little tired of hearing stuff like that.Around here ,we call that talent.By the comparison of the scores on here this year,to beat USJ, EZELL or GOODPASTURE,you would have to be able beat DOBYNS BENNETT by around 30 points or so.Quite a chore for a 1a school.

[silverpie]

Private-school wins in the top class of each sport:

 

Football: Two in the five-class system (BA in 95 and 96), three in the old three-class system (Baylor in 73, Ryan in 74, and Christian Brothers in 76).

 

Basketball: In boys, Christian Brothers in 1987, and before that you have to go all the way back to 1927 to find a title for Nashville Cathedral (presumably the predecessor of Father Ryan). On the distaff side, 1927 is the only one, a win by the Peabody Demonstration School (now known as USN).

 

Baseball: Christian Brothers won AAA in 1997 (the last year before the split), and MBA won two AAA titles in 93 and 84. In the single-class era, CBHS won five times and MBA and McCallie one each.

 

Softball: Baylor won the state in 1993 and 1994, followed by a Ryan title in 95. No other privates have won AAA.

 

Volleyball: Father Ryan in 1992 is it.

 

Cross-Country: In the single-class era for boys, you had Harding in 77, CBHS in 82, and Baylor on both sides of BA's 1987 win. Baylor won twice more in 1993 and 1994 in the AAA class. For girls, Harpeth Hall almost won seven in a row from the first meet in 1975 through 1981, but lost out to Memphis Catholic in 1979. Baylor's titles in 1991 and 95 were the only ones in the AAA class.

 

Golf: Private-school dominance is almost a given in golf, but publics have by no means been out of the picture. For boys, it was Ryan in 1946 and 53, CBHS in 49/66/69/75/84/90, MBA in 57/71/73/82, Baylor in 88/89, Briarcrest in 87, and half Notre Dame in 1985 (the playoff against Farragut was rained out). In the classified era, Baylor held the title from 1993 to 96.

 

In girls, GPS won the first six offerings (75-80) as well as 1987, Bishop Byrne both 1983 tournaments (sport shifted from spring to fall) and 84, and Ryan in 1986. AAA (which began in 1991) was all public until Baylor took over in 1995 to win the final two pre-split (and all five Division II tournaments since then).

 

Wrestling: The dominance has been more regional than private/public--only five counties (Hamilton, Bradley, Davidson, Williamson, and Montgomery) have had a team champion. Private schools that have won the open traditional are Ryan and McCallie eight times each, Baylor seven, and Notre Dame two. In duals, McCallie had four and Ryan two pre-split.

 

Tennis: Again, a sport where private domination is to be expected. Without bothering to count precisely for every school, boys team titles pre-split were 36 private and six public, and the count on the girls' side was 26-8 for the privates.

 

Soccer: This only became a TSSAA sport in 1987. CBHS won boys (of course) three times prior to the split and Baylor once. (Worth noting that a Memphis private would have a substantial advantage, since only one Memphis City School, namely Ridgeway, even has a soccer team. This also favors the Shelby County system, in particular Houston.) As to the girls, public domination has been near-total, with only Notre Dame winning a single-class title in 1988.

 

Track and Field: For girls, Harpeth Hall's wins in 1975 and 1976 are it in the main meet (Baylor won the final relays, however, in 1997, that series being abolished with the split); on the male side, Memphis Catholic won in 1963 and CBHS the following year; since classes were introduced in 1980, it's been 100% public, including the five years of the relays.

[BDURHAM]

Baylor was a powerhouse in the 60s and 70s. Any Baylor alumns reading this? Remember the Hannahs?

 

Baylor has probably had some of the best high school teams in the history of Tennessee football.

 

Posted by just1np:

Baylor never went too deep in the playoffs.

Neither did Christian Brothers, MUS, or McCallie.

In fact, how many private schools won the title at the highest level (3A/5A) other than BA?

I think if we look back we'll see a lot of Germantowns, LincolnCo's, Jefferson Co., Gallatins, and Red Banks. But no private schools.

Did a private ever win it prior to BA(the exception to the rule, or every rule for that matter)?

[BDURHAM]

Add Father Ryan to the list...used to be a powerhouse!

Most State Championships for Football for the 1970s

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

School Count

Maryville 3

Alcoa 3

Oak Ridge 2

Tennessee 2

Milan 2

Loudon 2

Sweetwater 2

Gallatin 1

Christian Brothers 1

Bradley Central 1

Father Ryan 1

Baylor 1

Murfreesboro Central 1

Humboldt 1

Kingston 1

Trousdale County 1

Rockwood 1

Walland 1

Brentwood Academy 1

Dyer County 1

Tennessee Preparatory School 1

[BDURHAM]

Old days...add BGA! Probably in the smaller classification, but there were privates in the playoffs.

Most State Championships for Football for the 1960s

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

School Count

Jackson 2

Montgomery Bell Academy 2

Dobyns Bennett 1

Bradley Central 1

Oak Ridge 1

Chattanooga Central 1

Battle Ground Academy 1

Morristown East 1

Loudon 1

South Pittsburg 1

[BDURHAM]

Forget the classifications, here is another prespecitive on the NEWER days:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most State Championships for Football for the 1980s

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

School Count

Brentwood Academy 5

Austin East 2

Lake County 2

Gallatin 1

Memphis Catholic 1

Dickson County 1

Webb School of Knoxville 1

Jefferson County 1

Knoxville Halls 1

Hillcrest 1

Oakland 1

Germantown 1

Lincoln County 1

John Overton 1

Oak Ridge 1

Alcoa 1

Memphis University School 1

Marshall County 1

Bruceton Central 1

Donelson Christian Academy 1

Greenback 1

Spring Hill 1

Gordonsville 1

Evangelical Christian School 1

 

Most State Championships for Football for the 1990s

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

School Count

Trousdale County 4

Marion County 4

Battle Ground Academy 3

Brentwood Academy 3

Cleveland 3

Riverdale 2

Montgomery Bell Academy 2

Lincoln County 2

Pearl Cohn 2

Milan 2

Melrose 2

Goodpasture 2

South Pittsburg 2

Sevier County 1

Oakland 1

Donelson Christian Academy 1

Father Ryan 1

Gallatin 1

Evangelical Christian School 1

Oak Ridge 1

Oneida 1

Memphis East 1

Franklin Road Academy 1

Maryville 1

White House 1

Springfield 1

Tyner 1

Webb School of Knoxville 1

David Lipscomb 1

Sweetwater 1

[Indian]

1960, 8-2 in favor of publics, 70s 16-4 for publics, 80s, 18-6 and 90s 20-10. See a pattern here? So far in the 00s its 3-1 privates in 1A and 2A, the only two classes publics and privates compete head to head in the posteason. Wonder what the 00s count will be in those two classes?

[Edited by Indian on 9-29-02 2:47P]

[silverpie]

were mostly before they joined TSSAA (in football, that is).

[Guest conway]

Everyone should remember this. Brentwood Academy was solely responsbile for virtually all of the public/private debate. Before they started winning at the highest class in football there was little discussion on the issue.

 

You would occasionally see a private school powerhouse in a sport, but it was all in cycles -- they would not stay there for a while and someone else would take over.

 

But BA changed all of that. They were in contention every year. Since the school started football in 1972 they have participated in over half of the state championship games.

 

The problem has always been that IF a private school school chooses to concentrate in a sport they can be competitive every year. That is what BA did and it changed all the rules. Did they do it all legally? That of course has been debated for 30 years.

 

I think the TSSAA makes a mistake by letting schools play up a class in some sports. They should make a school either play up in all sports or not at all. Here they let BA play up in football but not in other sports. When asked why they did not play up in all sports they replied that they didn't think they could be competitive in all sports. Translation "We are only going to emphasie football but not other sports".

 

TSSAA should have made them play class A in all sports. Would they dominate A in football? -- you bet -- but not for long, because winning a A would become very boring and they would never get respect. Look at Ezell -- they're a great 1A team, but do you think of them in the same breadth as Riverdale? Gallatin? Maryville -- no. It would be the same with them and they certainly would not be able to schedule those teams, because they would not play them.

 

So, past history is a moot point now -- because of BA's approach to the game.